(TAN): Scotland is all set to celebrate the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020 with a range of early-year activity across January and February.
Message From The Skies returns to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay (till 25 Jan) with Shorelines, a collection of letters to Scotland reflecting our relationship with our seas, waters and coasts, and our maritime heritage. Welcoming the beginning of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters, the words of five celebrated writers: Charlotte Runcie, Irvine Welsh, Kathleen Jamie, Kayus Bankole and Robin Robertson will illuminate and animate landmarks around the city from Fountainbridge to Leith.
Celtic Connections will celebrate Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters with a full day of special events all anchored to the maritime traditions that have shaped the country’s history. ‘Coastal Connections’ (18 Jan) a spectacular one-off festival within a festival will take place across multiple spaces and stages of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
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Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said, “Alongside our wealth of wonderful attractions, scenery and wildlife, in 2020 Scotland will host an exciting array of both existing and brand new events set to put our coasts and waters in the spotlight.”
The waters around Scotland and the shore-to-shore journeys made by residents and visitors will also be celebrated as part of the day with a musical contribution from Ferry Tales, a forthcoming production from the National Theatre of Scotland. Screen Argyll and A Kind of Seeing will also debut the live performance of Launch! On The Sea with Scotland’s Lifeboats as part of the day. Composer Jason Singh and a line-up of world-class musicians will perform their live soundtrack to RNLI archive films.
As part of the Coastal Connections day, Scottish Natural Heritage will also be premiering Message in a Bottle, a special collaboration with traditional musician Ingrid Henderson that will celebrate Scotland’s unique marine environment.
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Edinburgh-based visual theatre company, Vision Mechanics will also reveal their epic new project to the world as part of Celtic Connections coastal themed festival on 18 Jan. Storm – a ten-metre-tall mythical goddess of the sea will celebrate Glasgow’s shoreline and beyond through a giant free outdoor event.
The UK’s leading marine charity, Marine Conservation Society will kick start the year with their first Beachwatch clean and litter survey at Cramond Beach (18 Jan).
Headlining the Burns Hame Toun programme as part of the annual Burns an’ a’ that! Festival, Burns on the Beach (24 Jan) will take place at the pier end of Ayr beach and will feature five unique sound and light installations lighting up local coastal assets including Ayr Pier, The Watchful Boat, Ayr beach and the promenade path.
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Taking its inspiration from Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters, SPECTRA 2020 (13 – 16 Feb) explores Aberdeen’s position as the connecting point to other cultures on Scotland’s North East coast through a series of thought provoking, playful and stunning light art works across a range of locations including Marischal College Quad, Broad Street, Upper Kirkgate, Schoolhill, St Nicholas Kirkyard, The Kirk of St Nicholas, and Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, said, “Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 2020 will promote a range of opportunities to experience and enjoy our unrivalled seas and shores, whilst encouraging responsible engagement and inclusive participation from both locals and visitors.”
A number of exhibitions celebrating the themes of the year will also span the early part of the year: 70%+ Contemporary Art and The Ocean at Kirkcaldy Galleries features two Fife-based artists Kyra Clegg and Marysia Lachowicz with new work focused on new ways of looking at Scotland’s coast. David Mach: Odyssey at Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries (until 2 Feb) showcases the Internationally renowned sculptor’s latest work.
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ICONS II: Bellany at Perth Museum and Art Gallery brings together works from the artist’s long career including The Kiss, The Bellany Family and Fishing Boat Poseidon in Harbour. At the centre of this exhibition is one of the best-known works of Bellany’s career, The Boat Builders, a painting rarely seen in public. A Pirates Life for Me! at Rozelle House, Ayr is a new exhibition created by the V&A Museum of Childhood which offers a jaunt through the world of both real life and fictional pirates, playfully presented and including both interactive and work created by children.
